Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Barry Swackhamer
Taken: August 24, 2020
Caption: Pause and Experience the Amazing Diversity
Additional Description: For centuries, the Missouri River has carved and shaped the land and influenced the plant communities and wildlife habitat around you. The result is a diverse ecosystem which includes the river's green corridor, or riparian zone, and the surrounding hills.
The river and its riparian zone support a tremendous variety of plants and animals. The river itself is home to numerous species of fish, including ancient species like the paddlefish and sturgeon. Along the shoreline, wading birds, amphibians, muskrats and beaver find most of life's needs.
Beyond the shoreline, where new plants grow in the silt deposited with each spring runoff, song birds nest in the thick willow branches and young waterfowl hide in the dense cover.
A little farther from the river, the older cottonwood trees create a canopy over wild rose, snowberry, dogwood and other plants. This is habitat for white-tailed deer, elk and a host of other wildlife species.
Along the valley slopes, sagebrush, ponderosa pine, juniper and a variety of grasses dominate the scene and provide cover for mule deer, elk and sharp-tailed grouse.
The river ecosystem supports 60 species of mammals, 233 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 49 species of fish. How many different species of each can you find in this river scene?
Submitted: December 7, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
Database Locator Identification Number: p555574
File Size: 3.130 Megabytes

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